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Klose brace leaves Werder Bremen top of Bundesliga

Werder Bremen's Diego performs an overhead kick during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Bremen and Hertha BSC Berlin in Bremen on Saturday. PHOTO: AP

Miroslav Klose scored twice on Saturday as Werder Bremen beat Hertha Berlin 3-1 to move to the top of the Bundesliga.

Klose made it 2-1 with a header in the 32nd minute and then scored the game's winner with a low shot that Berlin goalkeeper Christian Fiedler got a hand to but couldn't stop.

"The first half was very pretty to watch, perfect," Bremen coach Thomas Schaaf said. "I wasn't as satisfied after the break."

Germany striker Klose, who was top scorer at this year's World Cup, moved atop the Bundesliga scoring charts with 10 goals. Klose has scored six in the last four league matches, playing a role in eight of the last nine Bremen goals.

Bremen has played 15 games and has 30 points, one more than Schalke and two more than Stuttgart. Bayern Munich, held to a 1-1 draw by Moenchengladbach, has 27.

Hertha Berlin defender Joe Simunic was involved in all the goals in his team's game, starting with a handball that set up Diego's penalty kick for 1-0.

The Croatian scored a minute later, but was then beaten twice by Klose, who spearheads a Bremen attack averaging nearly a goal a game more than any Bundesliga rival.

Moenchengladbach, which hasn't won in eight matches, surprised Bayern with the 1-1 draw. US goalkeeper Kasey Keller, stopped several late chances by the defending champions.

Bayern dominated play early and was rewarded when Argentina defender Martin Demichelis headed in Bastian Schweinsteiger's 23rd-minute free kick.

But Demichelis' loss of the ball in the 33rd minute led to Michael Delura scoring past Bayern keeper Oliver Kahn.

Hannover 96 continued its climb and made 10th place after Steve Cherundolo scored the 22nd-minute winner for his first goal of the season in the 1-0 victory at Energie Cottbus. The US defender headed in Juri Stajner's cross.

Hamburg's 2-1 loss to Bochum left the North German team with just one win -- the worst start in the club's Bundesliga history.

In other games, it was: Borussia Dortmund 1, Wolfsburg 0; and Bielefeld 0, Leverkusen 0. On Friday, Mainz and Stuttgart played to a 0-0 draw.
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